God’s Word tells us – Jesus tells us – that He sent The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to abide with us – that He would not leave us alone, to fend for ourselves.

Ever wonder what that looks like from HIS perspective?

One day, in prayer, I asked God to show me that He was still with me, that He hadn’t abandoned me, that He was still with me.

That day, as on many days, I’m out for my bike ride down at the beach bike path here in Los Angeles, and I stop for a bathroom break at a public rest room I’d not used before. It was one of the nastiest restrooms I’d ever seen. Continue reading →

So I thought to myself, hey, what a great idea… why be stuck in my room on the computer when I can just take my netbook out to the beach, and do my writing there?

Of course, there’s no WiFi anywhere nearby, so I’m resorting to either LibreOffice or BlogDesk to do my writing.

It turns out, this particular spot on the beach, though very picturesque, is also kind of distracting. The view has the Santa Monica pier on the left, the hills of Malibu on the right, and people bicycling and rollerblading left and right.

The point is, while I’ve got the Pacific Ocean in front of me and these great views left and right, I’ve also got the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH to the locals) behind my back. And most of the time there’s a lot of traffic and it’s kind of noisy. Yeah. I’m not one of those city folk who just got used to the traffic and can blot it out.

This season is all about WHAT happened for most people. The story is all too familiar, right? A stable, some donkeys and shepherds and wise men. Throw in a few angels and of course Jesus, and you have The Christmas Story.

What’s missing here is the WHY? What’s the real point to all this, the deeper meaning? What’s the big deal about the arrival of THIS particular baby?

Feeling like you don’t belong here is a sign that God’s trying to call you, to tell you something. It’s possible to feel lonely even when surrounded by people. Ever get lost in a big city? Sometimes the more people, the more lost you feel.